Klout: More social influence equals a better customer experience?

by Colin Shaw — Founder & CEO, Beyond Philosophy

I was very interested to see that organizations are starting to provide a better customer experience to people that have more social influence. You may have…

The customer-centric retail pricing zone

Analyzing shopping patterns across multiple stores allows for a more profitable pricing-zone strategy.

The customer loyalty/customer experience conundrum

Retailers often make the mistake of equating customer loyalty with the customer experience.

Vending kiosks providing retailers variety of solutions

From dispensing products to tracking consumer behavior, vending kiosks are the new go-to retail solution.

RCE Podcast episode 2: ACA upheld, nude grocery shopping and Obama's gift registry

June 29, 2012

The National Retail Federation reacted very strongly to yesterday's Supreme Court decision to uphold the legislation commonly known as "Obamacare," and our…

Will consumers opt-in for the 'store of the future?'

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Motorola Solutions recently launched a variety of solutions to help retailers deliver what it calls the "store of the future." Many of the company's solutions…

Motorola shares vision for future of retail

Motorola unveiled new customer experience solutions at its New York event this week.

Social relevance as more than a pet project

by Bryan Pearson — President, LoyaltyOne

Today, when merchants consider social media, many think of a few key terms: Listen! Word of mouth! Viral marketing! But the most important consideration to…

Apple's Passbook to help retailers offer loyalty programs

June 12, 2012

Retailers may soon have access to yet another payment and loyalty card option with Apple releasing Passbook Monday at its Worldwide Developer Conference in San…

Buyers behave irrationally

by Dale Furtwengler — President, Furtwengler & Associates, P.C.

Ruti Levy, in her Haaretz.com article "Building blocks of high prices," cited the fact that Israelis are paying 3 to 3.5 times what they would online for…

Commentary: Lessons learned from mystery shopping

Mystery shopping has helped c-stores protect their bottom lines by ensuring attentiveness to the shopper.

Mobile check-in kiosks to drive store sales

May 31, 2012

Software designer Solekai Systems has partnered with a mobile solutions start-up called Raging Mobile to develop a prototype for a mobile phone check-in kiosk…

You had me at hello, but: What neuromarketing and Big Data miss

I'm a geek. I love big data and ferreting out patterns. Nothing fascinates me more than the burgeoning field of neuromarketing.

Commentary: Building a proximity marketing strategy that protects customers

Consumers are wary, rightly so, of any attempt to use their personal information to gather data and sell products.

The spectacular marketing fail of JC Penney

by Bob Phibbs — CEO, The Retail Doctor

Ron Johnson, Penney's CEO, said last week that "coupons were a drug."

Target kickin' it with Shopkick

May 24, 2012

Target has partnered with shopkick, an app that allows consumers to earn points for shopping (at participating stores) that can then be redeemed for a variety…

Kiosks help IKEA track customer loyalty

May 21, 2012

IKEA's new kiosk-based loyalty program IKEA FAMILY has already attracted more than 1.6 million members since its launch a few months ago.

Q&A with Bryan Pearson, author of 'The Loyalty Leap'

Pearson discusses the importance of relevance when it comes to building a loyalty program that people will care about.

Is Walmart losing out on deeper loyalty by not offering loyalty cards?

by Annamaria Turano — Executive Director, MCAworks

Walmart remains one of the few giant retailers which does not yet offer a customer loyalty card. In the new book, Walmart: Key Insights and Practical Lessons…

Brick-and-mortar's inherent advantage: In-store relevance

Smart retailers make customers feel that their preferences, wants and needs are a priority from the minute they walk into the store.